Bryan Hughes - State Senator (R) Joins Houston's Morning News

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Do you go to all that trouble. You shouldn't have
a problem proving that you're an American citizen in order
to vote, right especially here in Texas joining US as
State Senator Brian Hughes, he's introduced SB sixteen. What does
SB sixteen specifically call for, Senator Hughes.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Well, good morning. Is very straightforward, and it says, if
you're going to register to vote in Texas, you should
show proof of citizenship. It's very simple and shouldn't be
very controversial.

Speaker 1 (00:28):
No, it shouldn't. So I really don't know why we
do it the way we do right right now, you
basically are given a voter registration form when you go
to the DMV. When you get your driver's license renewed,
Nobody asks you any questions about your citizenship. They just
give it to you. So why don't we just stop doing.

Speaker 2 (00:48):
That right now? Federal law does not allow us to
require proof of citizenship. As you know, when you get
a driver license in Texas, the state of Texas requires
proof citizenship, but the FED will not let states do
that to register to vote.

Speaker 1 (01:05):
It's crazy.

Speaker 2 (01:06):
Arizona tried it, they got blocked. Other states have tried it.
We have a way based on other states experience and
based on Supreme Court precedent, that will allow us to
verify citizenship when people register to vote. Hopefully the Feds
will fix this, but we're not waiting on Washington.

Speaker 1 (01:22):
Well into that, and I don't blame you if we're
not waiting on Washington to be waiting until you're old
and gray and maybe gone from the planet. I guess
my question would also be, are we required by law
to give a voter registration form to somebody who's applying
for a driver's license.

Speaker 2 (01:39):
Yes, federal law since the nineties has required that when
someone gets the driver license or newser driver license, they're
offered registration to vote. The Feds also want us to
do that when people apply for government benefits. Now Texas
has pushed back. Texas has resisted that, and most states
are a lot more aggressive about that than we are.

(02:00):
But unfortunately, for years, the Feds, the federal government has
required the states to do these things.

Speaker 1 (02:06):
So the only way to fix it is to pass
the law ourselves. I guess the next question would be,
I'm sure we'd not have a problem getting through the
Texas Senate, but there doesn't seem to be anything getting
through the Texas House these days. What's going on over there, Well, the.

Speaker 2 (02:19):
House doesn't move as quickly as the Senate. We have
talked to a number of representatives who like this bill.
It's obviously popular, it's good policy. The chairman of the
Elections Committee over in the House likes the bill. So
we're optimistic it's going to move. I think you're going
to see the House and the Senate competing to pass
conservative bills. Now, the Senate's going to win, But if

(02:40):
the House and the Senate are both trying to pass
conservative bills, the people of Texas are going to win.

Speaker 1 (02:45):
And would you anticipate that if we do pass this
bill that we'd be sued by the federal government. Maybe
not this current federal government, but four to eight years
down the road when the government changes, we would not
be surprised.

Speaker 2 (02:58):
I've been honored to have my name on a lawsuit
file by the Feds over the last election integrity bill
we filed, So bring it on.

Speaker 1 (03:05):
Badge of honor. Right, and as long as Ken Paxton
is our attorney general, I think your chances of winning
that case are pretty good, don't you amen? All right,
thank you for joining us sir, good luck with the bill,
that is. State Senator Brian Hughes, the co author of
Senate Bill sixteen, which would officially require proof of citizenship
in order to vote here in the great State of Texas.